I: The Beginning
by Dreamboat
Summary: After the trial, Syaoran gets rather upset. A mysterious person turns up for help. The mission involves travelling two thousand years back in time, abducting a common chinese boy and raising him to be the first Emperor of Imperial China...


Disclaimer: I do not own Cardcaptor Sakura or the song "In the end".

A/N: This idea just popped out from a normal lunch (wanton noodles… yum…)… don't ask me how crazy I was when this came up! And by the way, remember to read and then REVIEW!

_It starts with one thing  
_

Two minutes from sunrise, Syaoran sits on the cliff that looked over the ocean. It was just a day after Sakura had finished her "trial". She succeeded after all. He knew she would have but, in his heart he feels just unjustified, unreal, and even if he doesn't admit it, jealous.The winds grew stronger, the clouds grew darker; a storm was on its way.

_I don't know why  
It doesn't even matter how hard you try keep that in mind _

"Why am I so paranoid?"

The waves crashed loudly beneath his swinging legs. The rocks groaned as another hard blow hit its shoulder. Syaoran gripped the ground around him tightly. His knuckles were white with anger. This was his choice, he let it be and he was not glad of it. _I was more worthy of it all. She has nothing that I don't have!_ If only he were less foolish, then he wouldn't have let Sakura taken over. _It wasn't really my fault, she was too… wonderful, innocent… to be broken._ At that thought, he blushed. That was the reason why he didn't take those "Sakura" cards by force.

"I am just so STUPID!" He shouted into the waves below. "LET ME TURN TIME AROUND AND I WILL CHANGE EVERYTHING!"

_  
I designed this rhyme  
To explain in due time  
All I know  
Time is a valuable thing _

"You lost to love, sweetheart," a hoarse crackly voice whispered from behind him. Syaoran turned around and stared at the young woman who was talking to him. She was definitely not local. Her features were covered with a black veil which she draped over her shoulders and neck. Layers after layers of black silk hung from her dark gown. _For one, she likes black a little too much._ Syaoran reached for his sword. His fingers edged towards the gleaming weapon.

"Don't do that, my love, you would not want to hurt me. I am just a messenger."

"From whom?"

"Your future, master Li."

In a flash, he swung his sword up to reach the black lady's neck. She did not appear frightened; instead she closed her eyes and smiled. Her reaction taunted him. He pressed his sword tighter. A pearl of blood rolled down her ivory neck. Syaoran was getting agitated. _Who does she think she is? I am going to have to check up on girls clad in black who pop up in the morning._ A choir of birds started chirping and singing. The black trees that swayed below them turned bright green with life. The sea calmed, the winds softened, the shape of the clouds formed. _The dark and evil should be returning to their dens now, what is she doing here?_

Time continued ticking along. Never did either of the two move. The sun rose higher.

_  
Watch it fly by as the pendulum swings  
Watch it count down to the end of the day  
The clock ticks life away  
It's so unreal _

"Please, I have little time left. Let me explain everything."

"Then explain, I have been waiting," Syaoran told her. She watched the golden beams of sunshine get sharper and brighter. Obviously, she was displeased. With a swipe of black silk, she gripped the blade of his sword with her bare fingers. Syaoran could not free his blade from her strong grip. _She cheats! She uses magic to hold my blade down._

"I have no time. The war in Chang An is beginning, you have to know and prepare."

"Chang An?"

"Xian Yang, also known as Chang An, was the capital of the dynasties Zhou, Qin, Shui and Tang in Ancient China."

"And this relates to me because?"

"You are needed there. The emperor has enemies which he must defeat else the course of history will forever be changed."

"And if I say no?"

The sound of a faraway thunder sounded as Syaoran gripped his sword tighter. The lady did not answer. She pursed her lips tightly and gave him one last smile before starting to fade. Syaoran did not notice this at first, but as her toes and feet disappeared altogether, he got surprised. The black cloth twirled and crackled as it disappeared into the wind. The young boy clad in green reached out an arm to grab the quickly fading black cloth. His arm passed through her body.

"Goodbye Syaoran and trust me, you will not decline," she said before letting go of the sword. The blade pierced through her body and the area around the wound turned dark purple. Syaoran never moved from his spot; he was too stunned to move. A single tear fell just as the last of the girl faded away_. Did I just… kill her?_

The sun rose.

_  
Didn't look out below  
Watch the time go right out the window  
Trying to hold on, but didn't even know  
Wasted it all just to watch you go _

"I do not understand, Syaoran, what does she mean? Who is she? How can we help someone who is already dead for a few thousand years?"

"I don't know either. She never told me exactly what I had to do."

Sakura, Tomoyo, Syaoran and the two keepers of the cards gathered in the Kinomoto household. Nobody moved a muscle as Syaoran retold his story. Tomoyo nodded gently as he continued the astonishing story. Sakura was gently stroking a very familiar yellow soft toy. Yue was staring at the group without ever blinking. It was without doubt to Li that his friends didn't believe him fully. This made him impatient and agitated.

"It's true, believe me!"

Tomoyo bit her lip. She raised her cup towards her lips and sipped a little of the hot tea. While doing so, she nudged her best friend to tell her to say something. Sakura hesitated for a moment. Even she found it hard to believe what Syaoran had just told them. However, it was only necessary to back up her friend.

"We believe you, you'll never lie about big things like this," Sakura sighed then added, "It's just that…" She didn't know what to say next.

"We have to wait for this person to appear again," Yue said, not moving from his spot. It was the first time he had said something throughout the whole episode. Everybody pondered on that thought for a minute. Then Syaoran nodded before telling everyone that it was the only possible way to determine whether the lady was lying. They all nodded but inside, all of them knew that things were not that simple. Not at all.

_I have got to find out about this myself; everything that is happening and why – it is necessary to know the enemy before the war._

Syaoran made a mental note to himself as they left the room. _Everything is happening too quickly, I do not know what to do. Should I call my clan?_

"Syaoran!"

He turned around. Sakura was holding a tea towel while calling him back. Syaoran stood and waited for her to say something. She bit her lip. He was nonplussed.

"I just… wanted to know that I believe in you. Just… do what you must, you have my support. Always."

"I'm sure, thank you," Syaoran told her before nodding and leaving the house. Sakura lowered her head. Everybody had started seeing less and less of the Chinese boy since she had passed the "trial". This had been the first time he had responded to her calls in the past day. It was not a good feeling, at all.

_  
I kept everything inside and even though I tried, it all fell apart   
What it meant to me will eventually be a memory of a time when  
_

(Some time ago)

A cold wind blew through the freezing hospital room. Occupying the only hospital bed in the room was a still figure. His cold ivory face was set in pain. Complicated medical instruments stood next to the bed. A girl knelt beside his frozen frame, holding his hand tightly. _You promised to stay with me forever, you promised to…_

She stroked his face gently. His closely set eyes were shut tightly. The Chinese character 'Dark' was tattooed onto his forehead which was covered by his black hair.

"Ying, we need to go."

"Give me one more minute; I want to be with him a little longer."

"As you wish, I shall be waiting for you outside."

"Thank you, sister."

She left, shutting the door quietly.

_  
I tried so hard  
And got so far  
But in the end  
It doesn't even matter _

"For the past three months, you practiced so hard just to finish our teacher's wish but you failed. It is not worth it, brother. You brought your own death, and dragged me down with you. Why did you do this to me? Now I have to finish your dirty job. You know that I don't want to leave my Hong Kong ever! But now, because of you…"

Ying buried her head into the warm covers. "Because of you… I have to leave this place, which I know as home… for somewhere I have never been to befriend someone I have never met only to kill him later. Why did you…"

_Because he didn't want to do it either._

"I HATE YOU!" She shrieked. _No, you love him. You wish he lived to marry you and watch the sunrise and sunset with you…_

Suddenly, the door creaked open, "Ying, we must leave. Now."

"Yes, sister."

_Syaoran Li and Sakura Kinomoto, your deaths will be my only consolation._

_  
I had to fall  
To lose it all  
But in the end  
It doesn't even matter  
_

The beautifully coloured leaves danced around the pair. As the sun glinted through the paper-thin leaves, the warriors stood panting underneath the colourful scene twirling above them. The damp ground was soaked with blood. The song of birds above echoed throughout the forest. The battle had only started.

Silently, the Promised One charged at Li with his glowing twin swords. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he struggled to bring his weapons down in a clear swipe. _It shall be over very soon…_ He brought his swords up into the air before swinging them down in a cross. His arms screamed in pain as he forced them down. _At least I am not the one dying._

"You have been manipulating me for the past few months. Kill me, I have been too stupid to live," Li said coldly. The charging warrior stopped. His eyes widened. He grasped his swords tightly. Another inch and Li would be killed. The shining blades barely scraped the soft skin under the nape of his neck.

_  
One thing, I don't know why  
It doesn't even matter how hard you try, keep that in mind  
I designed this rhyme, to explain in due time  
I tried so hard _

"Why did you stop? Don't you want to prove yourself to be the monster that you are?" Li mocked him. _You do not understand me, you have no right to mock me!_ Death was soundless and so was the trained warrior. His ice-cold eyes bore through Li's dark distrusting eyes. _What have I done to you? Have I changed your heart forever? It is only fair that I do this now; my only love died purely because you existed, my childhood has turned into a trauma just because you and Sakura had to appear…_

"Kill me! I will never let you hurt Sakura or our friends! Don't you want revenge!"

_Yes, revenge is all I want… and your friendship!_ The grip on the swords tightened as those words sank into his untouched, stone-cold heart. _I cannot stop now! I have come so far for this! Li, you are making this no easier!_ Mildly warm gold beams of light fell onto the backs of the stationary warriors. The choir of birds stopped its merry parade of songs. Everything in the forest seemed to be have stopped in its song of life; everything froze in a death-like silence. _Do you know what forest this is called, Li?_

"I accept my fate. Kill me… I will not do anything to stop you from doing so."

_This is the Li I know? You should be fighting with all you have, not acting as a hero and standing there! I can't… kill someone who just accepts their fate like this! The Forest of the Twin Dragons, a very impressive name is it not? However, you do not know the history… Leading further down is the…_

"Are you going to do what your ancestors did? Dump their victims bodies into the Red (Blood) Valley further down? Then leave them to rot?"

"混蛋！临死还这么嘴硬！我们李家不杀了你这个叛徒，就不是世界第一武家！"the shrill voice echoed around them. All of a sudden, the silence broke out in a series of squawks, chirps and squeals. The branches of the trees around them shook violently. Li mentally searched his surroundings for the person who had just spoken.

"Pardon my cousin, she has always been… spiteful of you," the warrior spoke for the first time throughout the battle.

"闲话少说，接招！"

Out of nowhere came a shower of darts. Li quickly registered the weapons into his mind. One inch long darts coated with homemade poison, most likely frog poison. They were embedded deeply into the bark of the tree where Li was standing a second ago. The warrior did not move nor did he speak. Li unsheathed his sword and held it loosely on his side. He was just in time for another dart show as they flew quickly towards him. The boy's sword moved effortlessly to block the darts. They got faster each time he successfully blocked them. _Cousin is getting restless… She should have known that Li's skills are above these mediocre tricks._ However, Li was already starting to tire from the vigorous exercise.

"Right… left… side…" he mumbled as he dodged them persistently.

"好！不愧我所料！李小狼，再接招！"

This time, strong vines appeared from the shadows of the forest and wrapped themselves around his body. _What is this?_ Li struggled against the gradually tightening ropes that bound his arms and feet to his body. His efforts were in vain. The more he struggled, the tighter the ropes got. The warrior's cousin broke out in a maniacal laughter. The tight green ropes were threatening to strangle the boy…

"I… can't…" he gasped as the world started spinning…

_  
In spite of the way you were mocking me  
Acting like I was part of your property  
Remembering all the times you fought with me_

Li screamed as he woke up. Perspiration made his clothes stick uncomfortably to his wet skin. He grabbed the bedside table to steady himself before attempting to stand up. The lights flickered on.

"Syaoran?" the sweet voice of an angel spoke gently…

_  
I'm surprised it got so (far)  
Things aren't the way they were before   
You wouldn't even recognize me anymore  
Not that you knew me back then  
But it all comes back to me (in the end)  
You kept everything inside and even though I tried, it all fell apart  
What it meant to me will eventually be a memory of a time when I  
_

"_**Syaoran, you must now make your choice. There is a need for you in Chang An. Please, help us…"**_

"_**I cannot decide now…"**_

"_**That dream was of your future…"**_

"…_**in Chang An?"**_

"_**That is for you to find out…"**_

"_**Why do you need me there?"**_

"_**You'll know soon…"**_

"_**I never told you I was going!"**_

"_**You know that you want to! You wish to prove yourself worthy… The people you shall save are your ancestors and their relations. Besides, you only need to finish off one part of this story… The other part shall be solved by another party of people…"**_

"_**Sakura?"**_

"_**You will know soon… Please, can I have your answer now?"**_

"_**I accept."**_

"_**Thank you."**_

…

_  
I've put my trust in you  
Pushed as far as I can go  
And for all this  
There's only one thing you should know…_

"Syaoran, please wake up! I don't know where we are and… I need you here!"

_My head aches… Is that Sakura calling?_

"Please… There are people coming and they are screaming… in… Chinese? I don't understand what is happening… Please Syaoran…"

_Chinese?_

"They are carrying torches! I think they want to light this place up! Please, Syaoran… You've GOT to wake up NOW!"

_Torches? The missions starts already?_

"SYAORAN!"

_Sakura…_

Li forced his eyes open, only to be faced by a furnace of fire and a terrified Sakura. _What is happening?_

_I tried so hard  
And got so far  
But in the end  
It doesn't even matter  
I had to fall  
To lose it all  
But in the end   
It doesn't even matter _

A/N: If you didn't realize yet, English is not my first language so if you find some mistakes, tell me! And… well, if there is no comments I guess I'll just leave this here… forever… and ever…


End file.
